NORWICH – A money-making opportunity at Lt. Warren E. Eaton Airport has been shot down once again.

An automated credit card reader that was procured from an NBT Bank vendor in December after two years of committee discussions now turns out to be incompatible with the county airport’s fueling system.

The apparatus would have made it possible for pilots to purchase fuel independently, 24/7 with a credit card at the pump. Lawmakers planned to advertise the new convenience to pilots, and, hopefully, increase sales. At present, an airport worker must manually operate the machine and, later, bill the purchaser.

The system in place does work partly, according to Airport Administrator Donald W. MacIntosh. Pilots who have a history of purchasing fuel have been given a key to start the pump themselves.

He said the county had “lost only a couple of sales” because pilots couldn’t use their credit cards.

Planning and Economic Development Director David C. Law said the airport could “probably sell more (fuel) once it’s up.”

Fuel sales overall increased last year, Law added, even without the convenience. Nonetheless, sales were less than the $50,000 budgeted for 2010. MacIntosh told his standing committee that he had hoped the credit card system would increase sales.